BT Regulatory & Compliance
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Public Affairs
‘Enormously aggressive’: nexfibre leads altnet complaints against Openreach copper-to-fibre discounting
Connected Britain 2025: As Openreach pulls levers to combat massive broadband losses, and drive fibre adoption alongside, altnet leaders have called out the discount pricing strategy as unsustainable. nexfibre execs have called it an exploitation of the incumbent’s significant market powers, CityFibre warns of structure advantage, plus views from other altnets, rivals…
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Eventwatch
Industry maps next steps for UK’s One Touch Switch
Connected Britain 2025: TOTSCo to focus on two key areas over the next year to further improve and streamline OTS, with BT, Hyperoptic, and Grain Connect among those highlighting the system’s consequences and potential improvements…
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Public Affairs
BT’s Kirkby pulls no punches in review of UK regulatory, fiscal policy
Connected Britain: Allison Kirkby lets loose on Downing Street policy, with greater fiscal certainty needed to fund much-needed infra investment and AI adoption. Regulatory policy comes in for inevitable criticism too, as the BT boss sets the scene for the Chancellor’s upcoming Budget and Ofcom’s pending Telecoms Access Review…
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Public Affairs
Openreach lobbies for regulatory flexibility as fibrecos take market share, struggle with debt
Openreach’s regulatory lead is twisting Ofcom’s arm to give it pricing freedom in regions where it faces two rivals. VM O2 and CityFibre contend that a firm hand is required to protect still fragile competition. While altnets are winning market share, their lenders are nervous…
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Public Affairs
Ofcom yields, slashes UK spectrum fees — MNOs demand more
£60m annual reduction sees regulator modify ALF regime and tease softening of spectrum trading regime, but fails to silence criticism that move does not go far enough. Operators lobbying for Treasury to reinvest remaining £270m windfall back into rural 5G…
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: BT braced as network tech moves from hype to reality
Latest from BT as Harmeen Mehta joins BT partner Equinix; Group eyes network edge as the tech nears maturity; legal headaches continue as EE fights overcharging class action; UK fibre scene spotlighted as Openreach competition changes shape…
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: overseas dealmaking, domestic lobbying
Latest from around BT as Orange and AT&T are reported to be in talks regarding an international asset optimisation deal; UK regulation in focus for Ofcom, Openreach, and its long tail of altnet competitors; 5G SA rolls on; and BT pairs with peers to fulfil PSTN obligations…
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Public Affairs
BT beats landmark class action case, cleared of unfair pricing
Competition Appeal Tribunal dismisses first-of-its-kind collective class action against BT, having found it to be charging ‘excessive’, but not ‘unfair’, prices.
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Network & Infra
Ofcom plots spectrum fee overhaul after MNOs’ calls for change
UK regulator sets out proposal to cut £40m from mobile operators’ collective annual spectrum licence bill after BT’s call for change.
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Strategy & Change
‘New options’ emerging for DT’s stake in BT — Höttges
Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges sees things “going into our favour” at BT as German operator’s ‘biggest mistake’ begins to turn around and new international shareholders target the operator.
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: BT takes aim at competitors
Latest from BT and its ecosystem as the Group takes flak for advertising practices, puts more effort into its anti-Vodafone–Three merger campaign, and cools talk of Deutsche Telekom’s latest API play…
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Innovation
BT tightens GenAI cost and security control with AWS
BT Group’s Digital unit teams with AWS to build GenAI Gateway internal platform that gives engineers a flexible and responsible way to scale use cases across the organisation.
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: 5G SA heralds AI age, Openreach sets wish list for fibre future
Latest from BT and ecosystem, including: standalone 5G launches at last, coupled with new in-home Wi-Fi 7 offerings and AI services, bringing anticipation of convergence change and ARPU growth; Mexico’s Slim adds more BT shares to holding; Openreach lays out TAR desires (much to rivals’ chagrin)…
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: Openreach simplifies, MAUD levels up, EE adds parental guidance
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including: content delivery network level-up with Edgio trials; Openreach restructures for complex fibre builds; SWAN passes migration milestone; EE warns of smartphone risks for kids…
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: less tech, more outcomes for BT’s consumer and procurement teams
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including calls from Consumer’s Kevin Lee to ‘forget the jargon’ and Chief Procurement Officer Cyril Pourrat on the centrality of AI to the future of buying. Infrastructure sharing in focus at Openreach; network executives exit; and Rivus folds after BT takes business elsewhere…
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M&A
BT outlines investment fears as Vodafone−Three merger tips spectrum scales
Operator overwhelmingly backs CMA’s decision to launch in-depth merger investigation and calls for closer attention to be paid to the unprecedented spectrum asymmetry that could follow. Ericsson, altnets, and trade unions also weigh in…
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: policy in focus as BT execs make the General Election rounds
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including discussions of a political nature from a handful of senior Group leaders in the build up to the UK’s General Election. The future of TV, planning policy for network expansion, and the need for pro-innovation and investment changes all earned a mention…
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Content & TV
BT policy chief calls for TV distribution rethink as IP takes hold
Policy & Public Affairs Director Helen Burrows describes current content distribution regulation as insufficient and outmoded, with need to update and reflect change in audience demand.
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: BT adds to concerns about Vodafone−Three UK merger, EE Finance gets Patterson’s Glow
Latest from BT and its ecosystem of partners and suppliers in a week where the UK’s competition authority revealed the level of concern it has about Vodafone UK’s proposed merger with Three — with BT’s networks found to be one potential flashpoint. EE continues retail revamp; Etc. ignites EV charging trial; and Business advances its Portfolio makeover…
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Analyst Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: CEO Kirkby sets about transformation agenda, Openreach ramps up build
Latest from BT and its ecosystem of partners as Openreach takes “unapologetic” stance in the face of rollout criticism from challengers; CEO Allison Kirkby reportedly makes earnest moves to implement transformation agenda via consultancy appointment and Ireland shake-up; more from industry events in the UK and Europe…